Charles Ellicott Commentary Numbers 27
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Numbers 27
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Numbers 27
"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father`s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them." — Numbers 27:7 (ASV)
You shall surely give them ... — The pronoun them is in the masculine gender in the Hebrew. Either the reference must be to the sons of Zelophehad’s daughters, or the daughters must be regarded in the light of sons.
"And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter." — Numbers 27:8 (ASV)
If a man die, and have no son ... — On the general law of inheritance which is here laid down, see Selden’s De Successionibus, London, 1636, and Keil’s Archaeol., volume 2, page 142.
"And Jehovah said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, and behold the land which I have given unto the children of Israel." — Numbers 27:12 (ASV)
Get thee up into this mount Abarim. —The position of this command, in immediate connection with the answer returned to the request of the daughters of Zelophehad, is very remarkable. They were to enter into the land of promise, and their descendants were to inherit it. The great lawgiver himself was to be excluded on account of his transgression. He does not, however, shrink from recording the sentence of exclusion in immediate connection with an incident which brings out that exclusion into greater prominence.
The fulfillment of the announcement made to Moses is related in Deuteronomy 32:48-52. The mountains of Abarim form the Moabitish table-land, the northern portion of which bore the name of Pisgah. It is here that we must look for Mount Nebo, which is sometimes described as one of the mountains of Abarim (Deuteronomy 32:49), and at other times as the top of Pisgah (Deuteronomy 3:27; Deuteronomy 34:1).
And see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.—“The law,” says Bishop Wordsworth, “led men to see the promises afar off, and to embrace them [rather, to see and greet the promises from afar,Hebrews 11:13], and it brought them to the borders of Canaan, but could not bring them into it: that was reserved for Joshua, the type of Jesus.” It must not be overlooked, however, that, although he was shut out during his lifetime from entering into the land of Canaan, Moses was permitted to stand with Elijah upon the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3).
"And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered;" — Numbers 27:13 (ASV)
Gathered unto thy people— See Genesis 25:8, and Note. In the case of Moses, as in that of Abraham, the expression cannot be understood in reference to the place of his burial.
"because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)" — Numbers 27:14 (ASV)
To sanctify me ... — See Numbers 20:12-13, where the same expression is used.
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